Project Grant 20216701533503

This $500,000 project grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) supports research under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive federal grants program (AFRI; CFDA #10.310). The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University will characterize differences in early embryonic development and uterine environments between cattle breeds that are more resilient to undernutrition and less prone to pregnancy loss, compared to more common U.S. beef breeds. Understanding these differences will allow development of strategies to incorporate genotypes from resilient breeds to reduce pregnancy loss and enhance sustainability and profitability in U.S. beef production. A $TBD subaward to Texas A&M AgriLife Research will investigate the resilience of Bos indicus cattle to improve early embryonic survival rates. Research will be conducted from July 2021 through June 2025.